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Living a Double Life: Book One
Chapter One "Dapplepaw will be mentored by Thistletail." The dappled tortoiseshell forced herself not to flinch as she realized the crouchiest cat in the Clan was supposed to be her mentor. She reluctantly stepped forward to touch noses with the feathery gray she-cat., but Thistletail only stared at her down her muzzle. Embarrassed, Dapplepaw coughed and turned away. "Dapplepaw, come with me, I want to talk to you." Dapplepaw stared curiously after Bluestar as she padded towards the enterance to camp. She glanced back at Thistletail, wondering if she wanted her to stay so they could train, but her mentor only turned and padded away. Dapplepaw sighed and raced after her leader, trying to keep up; her short legs and slow speed made her trip countlessly, and she always stayed a few tail-lengths behind Bluestar. Eventually, the pale gray leader stopped and turned. "I wanted to tell you why I chose Thistletail to be your mentor," Bluestar mewed as Dapplepaw tumbled after her, panting. The tortoiseshell sat, chest heaving. "Well, I...I was hoping you could cheer her up. She's been in a sour mood ever since her mother died, and I hope that having such a happy-go-lucky, energetic apprentice will pull her out of that." Bluestar shrugged. "And she is a good warrior, no matter how sharp her tounge may be. I trust her." Dapplepaw nodded; it seemed logical enough. She licked an outstretched foreleg, trying to hide how out of breath she was. Her tounge froze midlick. "Ew, what is that smell?" Dapplepaw squealed, shrinking back. Bluestar sceneted the air; Dapplepaw could see her eyes cloud over as the smell caught her nose. "SwampClan," Bluestar replied. "They live on an island, on the swamp. StarClan knows why they like it." Bluestar licked her nose and shuddered. "Do you want to see the swamp? There's a hill, up high, in our territory. If you stand at the top, you can see the SwampClan island to your right." Dapplepaw nodded eagerly and found she could speak. "Sure!" Bluestar purred in amusement and turned tail, weaving through the bushes and trees, still at top speed, like a snake. Dapplepaw followed, but at a slow trot; if she found herself falling behind, she put on a burst of speed to pull ahead. But mostly she let her mind drift. It was a nice day; the sun was warm, but not hot or uncomfortable. There was a slight breeze blowing, reaching through Dapplepaw's sleek fur and tickled her skin. Whispy clouds lazed across the sky, but seemed to dizzolve away before they could cover the sun. She leaped into the air, clapping her paws, as a butterfly flitted overhead. The breeze picked up for a heartbeat, and the insect was blown out of reach. Dapplepaw huffed frustratedly, but chased after Bluestar; though the leaders scent was nearby, she's lost sight of her. She found herself climbing a hill, then she was sitting next to Bluestar, staring out at forestland. Bluestar's thick gray tail flicked past Dapplepaw's nose. She stiffled a sneeze and turned to see where she was pointing. It looked like a big pond, but it was dark, dirty, and smelled strongly of mud. Scraggly bushes and trees shot up from the murky water, their roots hidden in the dank smelling swamp. And there; a small stretch of land near the left side of the pool. A fallen tree obviously served as the way to get from the island to the shore. She thought she could see shapes flitting about on the island, but the trees were so thickly clumped she couldn't be sure. "Oh!" She gasped as the smell, times three since they were so close, hit her. She groaned and crouched down, covering her nose with her paws. Bluestar's face was scrunched up as well. "So, that's SwampClan. Not the prettiest campsite, but it works for them." The leader shrugged her gray shoulders. "Duststar seems to think so, at least." Bluestar licked a paw and drew it over her ear. "Want to see the GlimmerClan camp? There's another hill that overlooks the stream." Before Dapplepaw could reply, the gray leader shot off, paws thrumming. The she-cat took a deep breath before pelting after her. She's so fast! I hope I run like that when I become a warrior. Eventually, they were standing on another hill, smaller, yet with a steeper slope. Dapplepaw was huffing, out of breath, when she came to a stop beside her leader. She stopped, followed Bluestars gaze, and gasped. The stream was beautiful, glittering, silky silver. It reflected the sunlight in a beautiful way. The shingle was made up of pebbles of every color, and every stone shone brightly, obviously giving the Clan it's name. The source of the stream was a decent sized lake. There, on the far side of the camp; was that the camp? Her jaw dropped in awe, and Bluestar let out a soft mrrow. "Pretty, isn't it?" Dapplepaw could hardly reply; she only nodded. Bluestar was smiling absently at the water. "I used to come to this hill and pretend I was a GlimmerClan cat. I was jealous of them; they had the prettiest territory ever." Her eyes grew glassy for a while, then cleared. "Come on," she mewed, shaking her fur. "It's getting dark. We should get you back to camp." Dapplepaw looked up in surprise to see that the sky was growing dusky. She turned back to Bluestar, but the leader was already padding away, uncharacteristacally slow. Dapplepaw blinked and trotted after her, wondering, Was is something I said? Chapter Two Dapplepaw huffed crossly and shoved Icepaw away. "Hey!" The silver and white tom sat upright and flicked his fluffy tail irritably. "What was that for?" "You sat on my tail!" Dapplepaw rubbed the tortoiseshell tip, glaring at the tom. He shrugged and went back to chatting with Molepaw. The brown tom glanced apologetically at her before asking Icepaw about the border patrol he went on earlier. The she-cats, Lightningpaw, Skypaw, and Riverpaw, were giggling and whispering in a corner. Dapplepaw had the feeling they were talking about her; they kept shooting glances at her, and when they did, they laughed even louder. She'd never felt so out of place. Dapplepaw sighed and spiraled into her nest, flattening her ears against her head and wrapping her tail over her nose. "Hello." She opened one eyes at the warm and friendly mew. In front of her stood a white and dark brown tabby tom. His hazel eyes glowed in the fading light. "Hi," She mumbled tiredly. He chuckled under his breath. "Tough day of training?" He asked, sitting in nest. Dapplepaw nodded with a groan. "I went on two border patrols, a hunting patrol, and the evening patrol. And I had to clear out the elders den, and check them for ticks." Her legs felt stiff and sore, and her pads were raw from the stones near the GlimmerClan border. The tom murmured sympathetically. "It gets easier," He promised, licking a paw. "I'm Eaglepaw, by the way." "Nice to meet you," Dapplepaw murmured, laying her head back on her paws. Exhaustion swamped over her, and she slept. o o o When Dapplepaw awoke, creamy light was filtering through the brambles of the apprentices' den and shone in her eyes. She muttered crossly and sat up, pawing at her nose. She froze. Her paw was not dark black and ginger. It was silvery, silky tabby, and was much smaller than hers. She stood, legs shaking, and twisted around to glance at her flank. It was pale gray stripped. She sat, shaking teribbly, to look around. The cats sleeping around her were unreconizable. Dapplepaw was still in the apprentices' den, but it was...new. The brambles were still green and lush, not brown and withered. The gap in the roof that every cat had avoided last night was filled in, looking as if there had never been a gap. When she looked out the enterance, the grass was bright green, not brown and dead. And the fresh-kill pile was smaller. "Silverpaw?" The yawn came from beside her. She jumped in surprise; a small tortoiseshell with white stripes on her face was blinking sleep out of her eyes beside her. "Uh..." Dapplepaw only stared. Before she could say more, her vision faded into blackness. A black and white tom appeared to be floating on the darkness. "Nightstar!" Dapplepaw bounded forward to greet her fallen father. "What are you doing here?" "Dapplepaw," The tom rasped. "You have been given a wonderful gift; when you sleep, you live in the paws of Silverpaw, an ancient apprentice living in the very first BloomClan. Silverpaw's leader was Bloom." Dapplepaw only blinked. "Can other cats do this?" "No. You are the only one." Dapplepaw inhaled deeply, and let it out in a rush. "That explains it, I suppose." She sighed as the darkness began to fade back into the bright colors of the den. "Silverpaw?" The tortoiseshell had risen to her paws and was prodding her with a paw. "Come on, you're on dawn patrol!" Dapplepaw groaned and rolled to her paws. She felt weird, walking among these cats who knew her, but she didn't know them. "Yeah, sure, ok." Dapplepaw stood and stretched, not liking the fact that Silverpaw was shorter than her. "I'll just grab a mouse to eat." The tortoiseshell stared at her as if she said she was going to rub dung into her fur. "Get a whole mouse to eat? Are you insane? No cat has had their own mouse to eat for moons!" Dapplepaw froze, realizing what a stupid mistake she had made. She hung her head, nodded, muttered, "Sorry, I forgot," And padded out dejectedly. She passed a pale brown tabby picking through the pitiful pile of fresh-kill, a scrawny mouse, and a thin rabbit. The tabby looked up. "Oh, hello Silverpaw. Are you ready to go on the dawn patrol?" Dapplepaw nodded absently, still staring at the rabbit. Hunger bawled in her belly; what she wouldn't give for that rabbit! "Hey, Lightningfur!" The tabby looked up at the call; a gray tabby tom was bounding forwatd, a young brown tabby tom trailing behind him. "Hi, Wolfstrike." The gray tabby waved his tail in greeting. "Can me and Darkpaw join your patrol?" Wolfstrike asked, flicking the young tabby's ear. Lightningfur nodded. "Yeah, sure. Darkpaw, go get Boltpaw, will you, and I'll get Heatherstream." The pale tabby bounded away. Darkpaw turned and trotted to the apprentices' den. He called out softly, and a while later a pale brown tom with white paws stumbled out. Lightningfur came back a moment later, a white she-cat with dark blue eyes at her heels. "Ready to go?" Wolfstrike asked. When the only reply he got was a yawn from Boltpaw, he twitched his whiskers and they left. Dapplepaw stayed close to Darkpaw; she knew the forest well enough, but it seemed to new to her, too alien. Boltpaw was staggering through the forest, still stuck in his sleep mist. "Keep up, Boltpaw," Heatherstream mewed impatiently. When the pale tom didn't reply, Heatherstream veered off to the side and stopped; when Boltpaw stumbled past her, she shook the ferns over her head with her tail. Boltpaw let out a yowl as the leaves dropped their load of water on him. Darkpaw let out a soft trill of laughter as the brown tom shot Heatherstream and irritated glare and began to lap his fur dry. Darkpaw and Silverpaw giggled as Lightningfur and Wolfstrike rolled their eyes. "What?" Heatherstream objected when the warriors gave her disapproving glares. "I thought the water would wake him up." "It did wake me up," Boltpaw growled. "Because it was cold!" Darkpaw broke out in howls of laughter and nudged the pale tom. With a gasp, Boltpaw was sent back into the ferns. This time, even the warriors laughed as Boltpaw dragged himself out. "Ok, ok, can we go now?" The tom hissed, shaking his wet fur all over the rest of the patrol. Dapplepaw leaped away from the flinging drops of water, turned, and followed Lightningfur as she nodded and whisked off. o o o When Dapplepaw staggered into the apprentices den as Silverpaw, tired, again, from another hard day of work, the tortoiseshell was the only cat in the den. "Hey, Silverpaw," The she-cat greeted her without looking up. Dapplepaw nodded to her and curled up into her nest, feeling the stress of the day melt away as she felt the soft moss under her. She's only eaten three bites of mouse today, but she had felt charged enough by it to continue on with cleaing out the nursery, patrolling, and hunting; she'd felt highly disappointed when she caught only a mouse and a sparrow the whole day, though no other cats had seemed to catch more. She heard the sounds of enterance and Darkpaw's scent hit her nose. "Hi, Streakpaw," The dark tabby mewed. The tortoiseshell called out a soft greeting as Darkpaw settled into his nest; she felt his tail brush her flank as he sat. Darkpaw murmured hello to his brother, Thornpaw, and she soon heard the heavy breathing coming from all cats in the den. Dapplepaw let out a sigh as sleep gripped her. Chapter Three Birdsong pulled Dapplepaw out of sleep. She half-expected to be in the ancient BloomClan's camp, but no; the brambles around her with brown with age, and there was a gap in the roof that let in water when it rained. She stretched and groaned; her legs felt stiff. She stood and carefully picked her way out of the den; she heard a squeal, and Riverpaw's head snapped up. "You stepped on my tail!" the gray she-cat wailed, drawing it tight against her chest. "Sorry," Dapplepaw whispered, missing the bossy friendliness of Streakpaw. She felt around with her paws before setting them down, careful not to tread on any hidden tails or paws, and sighed with relief when she made it out. The sun was up, turning the clearing a soft green as it filtered through the leaves. "Hi there." Whitepetal was sorting through the fresh-kill, giving each a good sniff. Dapplepaw grunted a greeting and pulled a mouse from the fresh-kill pile; it felt good to know that they had enough food for her to have her own piece. Eaglepaw was emerging from the nursery with a wad of moss in his jaws. He dropped it outside the barrier of thornbushes, plucked a small sparrow from the fresh-kill pile, and settled down next to her to eat. "So, what're you doing today?" Eaglepaw asked, his jaws full of blackbird. "That's disgusting," Dapplepaw scoffed. "And I dunno. I'd wake Thistletail, but...I like why whiskers on my muzzle." Eaglepaw snorted with laughter. Dapplepaw twitched her tail - she hand't been joking - and finished off her mouse. She'd just finished grooming her whiskers when Thistletail padded out of the warriors' den. Whitepetal called out a greeting, but the white she-cat only twitched her ears irritably. Eaglepaw let out a soft chuckle. "Good luck today." He swallowed the last bite of blackbird and bounded off to the apprentices' den, calling Icepaw's name. Dapplepaw sighed after him and padded up to her mentor. "What are we doing today?" Dapplepaw asked as Thistletail halted in front of her. The warrior's ear pricked, as if surprised. "Um...if you've eaten, go check the elders for ticks." "I did that yesterday!" What if they've picked up more?" Dapplepaw bristled but whirled around and stormed off to the elders' den. When she shoved in, jaws full of bile-soaked moss, Kestrelfur's ears pricked. Hello, Dapplepaw. What can I do for you?" Dapplepaw dropped the bile with a sigh. I'm here to check you for ticks," She mumbled, parting Poppyfur's shoulder fur with her claws. "Didn't you do that yesterday?" the silver tabby she-cat growled, pawing her nose. "Yes, but Thistletail seems to think you've picked up more." "Thistletail!" Kestrelfur scoffed. "What does she know? Go on, Dapplepaw, you don't have to check us. We haven't any." Dapplepaw shoved the stinking moss out of the den. Thistletail was still in the clearing, talking to Whitepetal. "Thanks, but I can't leave. Thistletail will be cross with me if I disobey her," Dapplepaw mewed. Kestrelfur and Poppyfur exchanged a glance, then Poppyfur meowed, "How about we tell you a story, then?" Dapplepaw hesitated; she didn't want to tire the elders. But when Poppyfur shifted absently to block the exit, she sighed and sat, paws tucked under her chest. "Alright." Kestrelfur nodded and stared off, thinking. She bent over to whisper in Poppyfur's ear; the silver elder nodded, and Kestrelfur sat back. "When Poppyfur and I were just young apprentices, a strange group of cats came to the forest. But it wasn't there first time there; they'd come to the forest back when the Clan was brand-new. They were different cats now, of course, but they knew of the time when Bloom drove them out of the forest; the leader knew that there was not enough prey to sustain both groups. When they came back, the decendants were furious, and seeking revenge." "But Nightstar wouldn't have it." Poppyfur picked up the story. "When the group returned, he sent them away as Bloom had done. Only now, the leader - his name was Hawk - refused. They continued to hunt in BloomClan's territory, and always came back when patrols drove them out." "Nightstar became desperate," Kestrelfur continued. "He began to try and lure the rouges into traps that would send them away, make it seem like the forest was a cruel, unforgiving place. But Hawk was smart, and knew that the Clan wouldn't be here if the place was so horrid. His cats ignored the tricks, and began to fight back against the patrols that tried to drive them out." "Nightstar was furious when one patrol came back with possibly fatal injuries," Poppyfur mewed grimly. "He sent out all cats fit to fight, including the young apprentices. The Clan fought hard, but the rouges fought just as hard; they'd been expecting a fight, and had trained themselves well." "Many innocent cats died," Kestreful croaked. "My denmate and best friend, Honeypaw, was killed in the fight, along with two warriors. 'We hope you have learned that you are not the strongest cats in the woods,' Hawk had hissed. 'We will return one day. We will leave, for now, and let you ponder what you have done over these cats bodies!' He kicked Honeypaw's body, and they were gone." "They never came back," Poppyfur murmured, lost in thought. "Yet. I do not doubt Hawk's words; even if he has fallen, the rouges will return. I know it." Dapplepaw shivered; stories the elders told were always true. Then she stiffened. "Thanks for the story," She mewed hurridley. "But I've got to...go on a hunting patrol now." Not waiting for a reply from the elders, she raced out of the den, heart pounding. If these strange cats came to the forest when Bloom was a new leader...would Dapplepaw meet them when she returned to the life of Silverpaw? Chapter Four Dapplepaw pulled herself forward, pawstep by pawstep, homing in on the giant rabbit cleaing its face in front of her. She bit her lip as its ears pricked; she froze. Dapplepaw sighed in relief when the prey went back to grooming. One...more....step... "Dapplepaw!" Dapplepaw darted upright in surprise. "Mouse dung!" She pelted after her rabbit as it took off through the forest. She weaved through the trees as if they weren't there, and she soon gave a tremendous leap, landing directly on her prey. It gave a terrfied wail that trailed off in a gag as she killed it with a bite to the throat. She sat up, tail twitching, as Icepaw rounded a tree. "What?" She asked with a sigh. "You almost made me lose my prey." Icepaw's gaze was steady. "You caught it, didn't you?" He asked, motioning with his silver-striped tail to the limp rabbit at Dapplepaw's paws. "Well, yes, but...what do you want, Icepaw?" Icepaw snorted and flopped onto his flank. "Thistletail wants you for battle training." A thrill went through Dapplepaw, making her tail curl over her spine. "Of course!" She mewed with an energetic bounce of her paws. Without waiting for a reply, she picked up her rabbit and ran as fast as her heavy catch would allow her. It was sunhigh when she staggered into camp and dropped her fresh-kill in the thorn circle that made the pile. "Thistletail!" Dapplepaw called, scanning the clearing for her mentors white fur. She sat down crossly and called again. "She's already at the training clearing!" Dapplepaw turned to see Whitepetal and her apprentice, Skypaw, padding in. "We were just there. She was getting pretty aggitated that you weren't showing up." Dapplepaw yelped in dismay, nodded, and swept out of camp, racing to the training clearing. She screeched to a stop when she neared the clearing; she could hear laughter. Dapplepaw crept to the edge of the bushes and peeked out to the sandy bank where apprentices trained. Thistletail was wrestling with a tiny kitten; Dapplepaw couldn't help but smile when she saw the white she-cat acting like a mother, tickling the kitten and being extra gentle. Then her hackles raised; the kitten was wearing a collar. "Thistletail!" Dapplepaw tore out of the bushes; her mentor shot to her paws, standing protectivley in front of the small tabby kitten. "Yes?" Her mentor spoke through gritted teeth. "What are you doing? That kit's a kittypet!" Thistletail sighed and turned to the trembling kit. "You should probably get home, Trixy." The white she-cat gave the kitten a nudge; Trixy nodded once and whisked off, disappearing. "Do you always play with kittypet kittens?" Dapplepaw asked hotly when they were alone. Thistletail gnashed her teeth. "Trixy lost her mother a moon ago when a monster hit her. I felt bad for her - I can relate to losing a mother - and I kind of made her feel better. Playing with her. Not really getting close. Then I realized just how sweet and helpless Trixy was. She's come here every day for the last moon." She shifted her paws uneasily. Dapplepaw sighed and sat down. "Whatever, let's just get on with training." Thistletail seemed to sag with relief. "Alright. Let's try this move." She dropped into a crouch and darted forward. Dapplepaw tried to twist out of the way, but Thistletail's paw landed in the middle of her foreleg; she yelped in surprise as her leg buckled and she collapsed. "Wow!" Dapplepaw jumped to her paws and lashed her tail. "That was great! Can I try it on you?" She leaned in, eyes hopeful. Thistletail nodded. "You can try," her mentor growled, ear twitching. Dapplepaw leaped, but fell short; before she could hit her mentors leg, Thistletail tucked one paw under her chest and flipped her onto her back. While Dapplepaw lay on her back, gasping for air, Thistletail leaped over her and bent in a flash. "You see?" Thistletail asked, backing up to let Dapplepaw get to her paws. "You need to leap hard; if you fall short, your enemy can do away with you in so many ways." Dapplepaw nodded and crouched, ready to try again. Thistletail snickered and stood straight. Dapplepaw darted forward; she saw Thistletail rear onto her hind legs. Dapplepaw feinted to the right just as Thistletail slammed down. She heard her mentor grunt with surprise and Dapplepaw came up beside her, and, swift as a snake, slapped the middle of Thistletail's forleg. Thistletail gasped and tried to stay on her paws, but with a yowl, she was rolled into the sand. Dapplepaw leaped onto her mentors belly, purring with triuph. Dapplepaw pawed at Thistletai's belly, but felt her mentors hindpaws hook under her. Dapplepaw gasped as Thistletail thrust her hindpaws upward, sending Dapplepaw flying across the clearing. She landed in the sand with a plop and scrambled to her paws. Thistletail was sitting, her neck twisted, and was lapping furiously at her back. Dapplepaw trotted forward and yelped in alarm; scarlet blood was matting the fur along her mentors white back, flowing freely from a long gash. "Did I do that?" Dapplepaw gasped, staring at the red torrent. "I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it!" Thistletail rolled her eyes and winced as she struggled to her paws. "Oh, please. You couldn't hurt a fly. I rolled over a rock and it cut me." The white cat nodded to a sharp stone poking out of the sand. Dapplepaw gasped and knocked the stone into the water. "Let's get back to camp," Thistletail mewed weakly. Dapplepaw nodded and took as much of her mentors weight as she could, and they hobbled back to camp. Dapplepaw let Cedarnose fuss over Thistletail's back and padded into the apprentices den for a rest. She sank gratefully in her nest, and had just wrapped her tail over her nose when she heard the loud voices of Skypaw, Riverpaw, and Lightningpaw as they entered. "Well, I'' caught a ''huge squirrel. Lightcloud had to carry it back for me!" Lightningpaw was boasting. She heard the irritated grumble of Molepaw as he followed. "Didn't mother tell you not to brag?" He growled to his sister; Lightningfur only twitched her tail and went on chatting with her denmates. Dapplepaw willed sleep to take her, and all but purred with relief when she blinked her eyes open to the quiet calm of ancient BloomClan. A soft tail brushed her fur; she rolled over and pressed her paws against Streakpaw's spine as she stretched. "Ow," The tortoiseshell complained, wriggling away from Dapplepaw's claws. "Sorry," Dapplepaw yawned as she sat up. The den was nearly empty; it was long past dawn. She purred when she remembered she didn't have to go on dawn patrol today. She stood and prodded Thornpaw awake; the dark brown tom was still asleep. "Wha..?" He groaned, blinking open icy eyes. "It's time to get up," Dapplepaw meowed, prodding him again. "I was on midnight patrol last night!" Thornpaw wailed as he struggled to his paws. "Too bad," Dapplepaw retorted, arching her back in a long stretch. She grimaced as she saw silver tabby fur, not tortoiseshell, but quickly shoved away the longing for her dark dappled fur. "Who made the mouse leader?" A voice teased. Dapplepaw turned to see Darkpaw standing at the enterance, tail swishing in amusement. She snorted and leaped at him; in the confined space, the tousel was difficult, and she ended up jabbing Boltpaw in the flank, much to his irritation. "Darkpaw!" Wolfstrike was howling from outside the den. The dark brown tabby rolled to his paws, threw an, "I'll see you later!" over his shoulder, and was gone. Dapplepaw smiled after him; the tom reminded her of Eaglepaw, and their pelts were the same shade of brown. Maybe Eaglepaw is desended from Darkpaw, Dapplepaw thought to herself as she picked through the fresh-kill pile. There wasn't much. All the apprentices would have to share the scrawny squirrel. Checking to make sure the queens had enough to eat, Dapplepaw tore off her share of the squirrel, which was only two bites, but it satisfied her. Dapplepaw stretched her silvery legs in front of her before curling up ontop of a sunwarmed rock; she's done her duties two days in a row, and it was time for a less stressful day. She fell asleep listening to the content murmurs of her older Clanmates. Chapter Five Dapplepaw woke as her normal self. She sat still for a moment, purring as the sunlight warmed her thick tortoiseshell fur. She rolled to her paws to see it was nearly dark; the sun was dipping down across the lake, turning the water a bloody scarlet. Dapplepaw padded out of the den and padded to the fresh-kill pile. She chose a shrew and ate her meal slowly, thinking. Eaglepaw trotted out of the nursery with moss in his jaws. "Hey," He called as he dropped it outside the camp. He flopped beside her, yawning. "The kits were wrestling, and scattered the moss as quickly as I spread it out. I can't wait til I'm a warrior and won't have to do these chores anymore." Dapplepaw smiled and offered him some of her shrew. Eaglepaw only took a single bite before spreading out beside her in the patch of sunlight. "I should hunt," Dapplepaw murmured. "While there's still daylight." Eaglepaw stared after her as she padded out of camp. She hadn't gone far before she came across a vole, and killed it with a single slash of her claws across its throat. She'd just come up to the hill that overlooked ShimmerClan when she caught a movement below her caught her attention. Dapplepaw pricked her ears, staring intently at the bush that had shivered. Her jaw dropped as two ShimmerClan cats slid out from between a few bushes. She just had time to drop to her belly before the cats came into view. "I can catch the fattest squirrel," The small gray and white tom was boasting. The ginger tabby at his side rolled her eyes. "Shut up, Cloudnose," she hissed, claws flexing over the leafy ground. "You'll bring the whole of BloomClan on our heads." The ginger cat dropped to a crouch and stalked through the undergrowth. Her ears pricked when she spotted a robin pecking away at the ground, and the ShimmerClan she-cat pounced and brought it down with one elegant blow from a dainty paw. Cloudnose made a face and made a much messier kill of a vole. "Stop!" Dapplepaw bellowed, leaping at the cats. She landed on the small tom, who yowled in alarm, and dug in with sharp, curved claws. The ginger she-cat took one look at her struggling friend and sat, laughing, as her Clanmate bucked and kicked, trying to send the small apprentice flying. Dapplepaw had hardly landed before she'd leapt to her paws, snarling and lashing her tail. The ginger she-cat stode over, eyes mocking, and stepped on Dapplepaw's tail, hard, holding her in place. "You listen to me, you pittiful excuse for a rat," The GlimmerClan cat hissed. "We're going to hunt here as much as we want. We'll hunt until your Clan starves, til it withers away to nothing. We will do whatever it takes to get ourselves some extra fresh-kill. I guess the only way to keep this a secret is to kill you." The cat bent her head, ready to fasten her teeth in Dapplepaw's exposed throat. Chapter Six Coming soon!